


Being a detective 101

by fallingUp2000



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alcohol, Detective academy, Detectives, Drugs, Drunk Alec Lightwood, F/M, Gay Character, Lesbian Character, M/M, Malec, Mistery, Murder, Training, Violence, homophobic parents, murder investigation, shadowhunters au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-13 06:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13565064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingUp2000/pseuds/fallingUp2000
Summary: Alec is an 18 yeard old who just graduated high school. But after his parents decide he lacks discipline, they decide to sent him to Morgenstern's detective academy, a highly pregistious and elite institution that trains the world's best detectives. But shortly after Alec starts his training, a student is found murdered, and even the police detectives are clueless...who killed him and why? And most importantly, is Alec going to survive his training?





	1. My homophobic parents

Alec slammed the car door, anger steaming behind him like coal smoke from a power plant. His mother was about to say something, but his father stopped her. "Don't give him what he wants, Maryse" he said as they got into the restaurant.

She frowned in response, but decided that Alec was going to get over it. Eventually.

At the restaurant, Alec sat in front of his parents, looking daggers at them. He clenched his jaw, and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Alec, I hope you understand why we are doing this. You completely lack discipline." said Maryse, keeping her usual straight face.

"That's not true!" Alec said raising his voice. He then looked around and realized that people were staring at them, he was being too loud.

Robert gave Alec a black look. “Do not speak to your mother like that.”

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. No one dared to say a thing. Finally, they continued talking like nothing had happened.

"So, I heard that in the academy there are very nice young ladies." she said, with a smile in her face. "You never know Alec. You may meet there your future wife."

Alec clenched his fists until his fingernails dug painfully into his palms. "I'm going to the bathroom." he said, leaving their parents and locking himself in the bathroom. He made sure it was empty, and trying to be very quiet, he started crying.

 

Alec's family was far from perfect. He was 18, but his parents treated him like a child. Oh, and they were homophobic. And racist. And they were forcing him to attend "Morgenstern's detective academy". An institution which allegedly taught "creative solving problem's skills, discipline, and focus". His parents soon became obsessed with the idea to send Alec there, to correct his behaviour. And soon, Alec's plans to go to college to study law enforcement were forgotten. It was decided, Alec was going to the academy.

Alec fought, begged, and even cried. But nothing could change his parent's mind once it was set.

"But mom I'm an adult! I'm 18 years old for god's sake! I can make my own choices." Alec often insisted.

 "Unlike college, it will teach you discipline." his mother responded to almost any complaint of his complaints.

And by "Alec's lack of discipline" they meant his sexuality.

It all started in Alec's senior year of high school. Alec enrolled in AP Government, and he had to choose a partner for an assignment. The new guy, Mike, seemed a good choice. He was hard-working, smart, and good-looking. After a while, Alec started to develop a crush on him. He invited him to his house "to work" over their assignment. After a long internal monologue over if it was a good idea to kiss him or not, Alec kissed Mike. It took every bit of courage Alec had, but Alec knew that it was a "now or never" kind of situation. Unfortunately, Alec 's mom came home a earlier than expected. And when she saw her son kissing another boy, oh god, her face looked as if she had seen ghost. She was petrified. But she forced a smile, and politely asked Mike to leave.

Alec pretended he didn't heard his mother crying in her room for the next few hours. And he also avoided his father's eyes when he arrived home. He then had to endure his parent's screams for the next week. The words "I did not raise you like this", "What did I do to deserve a son like you?" and "I could not be more disappointed" became common in the Lightwood's house. Alec's found that he felt safer at school than at home. And he found the strength he needed to go to church with his parents in his sister, Isabelle. She was the only one who dared to defy their parents. Alec admired her strength, her courage. _I wish I was more like her_ , he would often think, as he tried to survive the day.

And for Mike, he didn't reciprocate his feelings. He was straight, and Alec would later find out that he was deeply in love with Isabelle. But Mike also had a difficult family situation: his mother died of lung cancer when he was 12, and his father was an alcoholic since then. The day after their kiss, Maryse went straight ahead to Mike’s house, and told his father about the “incident”, as she called it. As much as Alec begged her not to, she didn’t even hesitate in her decision.

“If I was his dad, I would want to know.”  She would say.

Afterwards, both parents decided that the best thing for their children sake was that they never saw each other again. Alec was not allowed to see Mike, and Mike was not allowed to see Alec, except in school.

Alec remembered the last time he saw Mike. Soon after his father learned about the “incident”, he sold his house and decided they would move to Washington. And Alec would never forget the look on Mike’s sad eyes, as he tried to hide the scars in his arms and his black eye, while he disappeared forever in his car.

 

 

 


	2. First days suck

Alec's parents dropped him in the academy, and he said goodbye to Isabelle and his little brother, Max. Alec folded them in his arms, wishing he didn’t have to leave them.

“Stay strong Alec.” Isabelle whispered him before leaving.

He then proceeded to exchange looks with his parents. Her mother approached him to hug him, but Alec turned around and didn’t even bother to say goodbye to them.

 

His bedroom was small enough to be uncomfortable. But it was _his_ dorm and only his. It was far, far away from his parents, and they couldn’t get in whenever they wanted. It was his own space, and Alec was happy that for once in his life he was going to be on his own.

 

It was orientation day, meaning that there were going to be lots of people. And if there was one thing Alec hated, was meeting people. Because people asked things like, “What do you do for fun?”. And Alec swore that in that moment, he always forgot everything about himself. It felt more like a job interview than making a friendship.

Alec counted no more than 20 freshmen. Morgenstern’s academy was an elite institution, and not everyone had the means to afford Morgenstern’s exuberant tuition fees. And it was not like Alec’s family could afford them either. But his parents used to work for Valentine Morgenstern, the academy’s founder, and they made a deal so Alec could go for free. Alec had never seen Valentine in person, but he knew that he was well known across government agencies for solving some of the countries more troublesome cases. There were even rumours he had solved the Zodiac killings, but that the government kept it secret.

Students started seating together and quickly formed groups. Alec felt out of place, so he decided to sit in the middle, to avoid attention.

However, a blonde guy approached him, sat next to him, and started speaking to him like they were friends from life. Alec wished he had that kind of confidence, but he was so shy that he avoided asking for help in the supermarket. With his bright eyes full of optimism, Jace introduced himself, and told him that his life goal was to become a spy. He had impressive fighting skills and had won several tournaments, he played the piano and spoke Latin. And he was unusually good looking: gold hair, intense eyes, toned arms.

Alec avoided mentioning his sexuality, and instead he talked about his archery skills. He made them sound more outstanding that they actually were, but he had nothing else to impress anyone.

"That's pretty cool dude. You're like Katniss from the Hunger Games" Jace laughed.

Suddenly, a man who Alec presumed was Morgenstern himself, opened the door and started introducing himself. He was in fact Valentine Morgenstern.

"There is no other academy like this one in the world.” Valentine cleared his throat. “Here we teach you unique skills you will need for your career, and life in general. This school trains the next generation of the world's greatest detectives." He then proceeded to talk about the history of he institution, classes, grading system, etc. "You will start your training today. But your first lesson is going to be to get to know each other. Today, classes are cancelled."

Everyone started screaming "Fuck yeah!" and Valentine just laughed. "Have fun. This class is dismissed."

Alec was out of words. "Morgenstern’s academy teaches discipline". Discipline? Really?

"Awesome dude!" screamed Jace. He seemed ready to go out and be part of the experience.

Two girls came to Jace. "Hey Jace, sophomores are throwing a party, do you want to come?". They started giggling and blushing. They obviously liked Jace.

"Nice, I'll be there." Jace gave Alec a quick look. "Oh and Alec's is coming too, is that okay?" he added.

"Sure" the red haired answered.

 

Alec was not a party guy. He would rather just stay in and watch Netflix. But the last thing he needed was to gain a reputation of being the most boring guy in campus. Besides, Jace was hot and seemed a decent guy.

 

Jace, who was in the dorm next door, got in without knocking. He had a couple of bottles of vodka.

In response to Alec asking him how he got them, Jace muttered something about “knowing a guy”.

 

The party was in a flat of a guy who lived off campus, a few blocks away. Much to Alec's dismay, Jace told him that they were going to pick up the girls who invited him to the party, and that afterwards they would walk together.

"Hey, they are freshmen. And I’m going to try to hook up with the red-haired one, Clary. But I got vibes that the other one, Lydia, likes you.” Jace told him.

"Listen Jace I'm not-" Alec tried to tell him. He had not told him that he was gay, even though he had the opportunity.

"Ladies" Jace interrupted him, and greeted Clary and Lydia. While they were walking Jace started talking about how much he was hoping they had a beer pong

 

The party was in a flat big enough so anyone could fit but small enough people were dancing a little too close. Endless empty bottles everywhere, waiting for someone to trip with them. The lights were off, the music was loud. Alec was not in his element.

As soon as they arrived, Jace started to great people and soon disappeared with Clary. Alec stood alone with Lydia. What was he supposed to say?

"Listen, Alec you look like a good guy but-" started saying Lydia.

"I'm gay" blurted Alec. The words escaped his mouth, and he couldn't take them back.

"Okay. Cool" said Lydia, "I need to look for a friend". She soon disappeared in the crowd.

Alec was left alone, without knowing anyone. He starting to panic, what would other people think? He was alone, he must be a loser.

Alec was so busy thinking that he didn't realize that a guy was speaking to him.

"Heyyyy" a very drunk guy approached him, a cup in his hand. He put his free arm around his neck. "Are you having fun!?". The guy was very loud and everyone started to look at them. He started laughing and drank from his cup. "Dude you need to chill. You are so nervous I saw it from the other side of the room. You give this place bad energy, you know what I mean?"

Alec nodded and quickly prayed he would let him free. But the guy kept bringing him around and showing him people. "This is my friend Garret" he kept saying, and after a while Alec stopped correcting him.

He then offered him a drink. "You need it more than anyone else here Garret. You look so sad."

Alec politely rejected the drink, on the claim that he was the designed driver and he didn't want to kill anyone on the way home.

"Do you have a car Garret? That's so cool!"

 

Alec's jaw dropped when he saw Lydia kissing another girl in the corner. And no one seemed to give a fuck. He felt so relieved. So, he was not the only gay kid in campus. Maybe he could search Jace before Clary got to him and make a move.

As soon as he saw Jace he regretted it immediately. Jace was in a steamy make out session with Clary. Even though he had only known Jace for less than a day, it hurt.  Alec then started looking for something to drink. He couldn't deal with feelings sober. After a few drinks, he lost count and started feeling the effects.

"Hey I'm Alec" he said to started saying to random people. He started stumbling and he soon tripped with one of Jace's empty bottles of Vodka. He almost fell, but someone grabbed him before he could hit the floor.

"Looks like someone had too much to drink." Alec turned around to see who was his saviour. He was one of the hottest guys he had ever seen. Black hair, piercing eyes, irresistible lips. "Hi I'm Garret" Alec said while smiling, realizing his error as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Hi Garret, I'm Magnus."

Alec knew he had lost his ability to filter his thoughts, and that an imminent disaster was going to happen anyway. "You're hot."

"Yes, I am." he laughed. "Garret, are you sure you are okay? You seem-"

Against his best judgement, Alec found himself grabbing Magnus by the collar of his shirt and trying to kiss him. He forgot his inhibitions, and decided to fulfil his urgent need to be close to those lips. But Magnus gently pushed him away, a little bit overwhelmed by Alec’s drunk behaviour. "You, my friend, are too drunk to handle any of this."

"I'm not drunk.” Alec complained, but soon the room started spinning. "Magnus, what is happening to me." Alec’s vision was blurred, but he kept seeing the figure of Magnus getting hold of him.

"Come with me, we are getting out of here." he heard Magnus saying, before passing out.

 

Alec dreamed about his family that night. They were all wearing black. They were at his funeral. Alec's funeral. But Alec was not dead. He was inside the coffin, begging for someone to listen and help him get out. But no one could hear him. And he was buried alive.

 

Alec woke up sweating. He realized he didn't have a shirt on and that he was not in his room. It smelled too good to be his room.

The guy from last night appeared shirtless in front of him. As much as Alec enjoyed his toned abs, he felt uncomfortable. He had never been alone with a hot shirtless guy before.

"Good morning" said the guy. Alec then realized the sweet smelled was not from the room, but from him. And he couldn’t explain it, but it smelled like home.

"Hi." said Alec. "Did we... did we sleep together last night?"

"Oh god no." Was Alec that disgusting? "You were drunk." the guy clarified. "And I don't sleep with drunk people."

"Oh. I see." was all Alec could say. He felt relieved he didn't lose his virginity last night, but also embarrassed of his own behaviour.

Alec soon felt the headache and the sharp pain in his stomach, accompanied with nausea.

"Do you want something to drink? You must have a hell of a hangover."

"Oh... not thank you. I have to go... to this place... training." Alec said while trying to locate his shirt.

“Ibuprofen?” Magnus offered him, with a glass of water. Alec gladly took them, and thanked him.

“So, Garret, am I ever going to see you again?” he asked. _Garret?_ And then Alec remembered about last night, memories coming to him. “Actually… my name is Alec, Alexander Gideon Lightwood.” Alec wondered why he told him his full name. Such an unnecessary piece of information he never told anyone. Not even his close friends in high school.

“Well, see you around Alexander”

 

"Lightwood you are late!" said coach Carl.

"Sorry sir"

"The walk of shame Alec" joked Jace. Everyone started laughing and Alec wanted to disappear. Had someone seen him with Magnus?

"Had fun last night?" asked Jace.” You didn't sleep in your bed tonight. I wonder whom you spend the night with."

"Shut up Herondale"

"Yes sir"

"I would punish you, but I have the duty to tell you terrible news." The coach let a sight. "One of our best students, Angelo Wallace, died last night."

Everyone started speaking, but Alec just wondered who was Angelo. He probably didn't know him anyway. "For those of you who knew Angelo, please feel free to take the day off and grieve. For the rest of you, please be supportive and decent. And I mean it. No jokes about the deceased.". Alec was unable to read coach’s face, but he felt like the coach had known him personally and cared for him.

Coach took his cell phone and showed them a photo of Angelo. “He was one of my best students.” He lamented.

Alec thought it was a joke for a second. Angelo was the drunken guy who had called him Garret last night.

A girl burst out crying. Another asked: "How did he die coach?"

The coach looked very uncomfortable with his words that would later hunt everyone. “He was murdered.”


	3. Fight me

 

 The academy’s cafeteria was run by an ex-army cook who loved bleach. It was full of loud chatter, each table full with people raising their voices to be heard above the din. To order food in the cafeteria was like describing your favourite shade of graphite pencil, in the end, it really didn’t matter what you asked or what you wanted, you you’d get the same over-cooked meal as everyone else.

Alec sat in a table with Jace, Clary, Lydia, a guy called Simon and a girl called Megan. Apparently, Simon and Clary had been friends forever, whereas Clary and Megan just met recently.

Jace was having a heated debate with Simon, discussing the circumstances of Angelo’s death.

“Jace, there’s no way another student killed him” said Simon.

“Well, yes.” argued Jace. “Think about it: a student with a rich family kills another student. The academy finds the body before the police, and they uncover it because his family is loaded”

“The academy would never do that” said Clary, her arms folded tightly.

“If not, why the media isn’t broadcasting it? And nobody knows a thing?”

Clary didn’t say a word, but if looks could kill, Jace would be already dead.

“Anyway, why are you defending the academy?” asked Jace.

Megan checked her phone the whole time, not even bothering to hear the conversation. She looked annoyed. “Guys, please stop discussing Angelo’s death. It’s so disrespectful” she said. She stood up, preparing to leave the table.

Alec tried to stay away from the drama. He didn’t want anyone to know that he spoke to Angelo the night of his dead. He was hoping everyone was too drunk to remember a thing, he didn’t want to get involved in an ongoing murder investigation.

But suddenly, Alec saw him. His black hair and camel skin. Magnus. The guy in whose bed he slept last night. As he started approaching them, Alec started to panic.

"Hey” he said. Everyone else stopped talking and their eyes shifted towards Magnus. “You forgot your jacket yesterday."

Everyone looked confused. His heart pounding, Alec tried to clean the sweat in his hands. "How do you know each other?" asked Clary.

Alec and Magnus's eyes met for a second, but Alec broke it off. _They can't know I was in his room._ "We don't" Alec roughly said, without looking at him.

"And where did you forget it?" asked Jace.

Alec must have noticed him blushing, because he came to his rescue. "In the cafeteria. " he said as he threw Alec's jacket at him, and left through the exit door.

"Oh my god that was Magnus Bane." said Clary. "He's one of the hottest and more popular guys here. And he's only a sophomore."

Jace looked at Clary, grinding his teeth and narrowing his eyes. Was Jace jealous of Magnus? “He’s not that attractive” he argued.

“You are kidding me Jace?” said Megan, suddenly interested in the conversation. “He’s really handsome. You know I tried to hook up with him last night?”. Alec hold his breath. “But he told me he didn’t hook up with drunk people.” She said and shrugged.

Afterwards they left and went to class. “Today, I’m going to teach how to fight” said Luke with his powerful voice. “But I know that some of you already have fighting experience, so I’m going to make a small tournament today to evaluate your skills.”

“This is my chance to make myself stand out, Alec” Jace said to him.

For his first fight, Alec had to fight Simon. Simon was skinny, and pale as a paper. Alec took off his shoes and put his bare feet on the mattress. This was going to be an easy win.

“Hey, listen. I’m not precisely the best-” Simon mumbled, but Luke blew his whistle and with a quick movement, Simon was already in the floor. “Ouch” he said, groaning in pain.

“Very good Lightwood” Luke told him, giving Alec a slap in the back.

His next opponent was Clary. This time, Alec could not take his opponent down immediately, as Clary was small but quick. But Alec waited until she got tired, and her movements became slower and she stopped defending herself. Eventually, she encountered the same destiny as Simon.

His final fight was with Jace. “Well, looks like you can fight too.” He said, with his usual proud smile. “I will try not to hurt you.”

This was the final fight between the two winners, everyone sat around to watch. Alec felt his heart racing, his palms getting sweatier and his stomach tighten from his nerves.

Jace was not an easy opponent, but his arrogance made him make many mistakes. Alec blocked his attacks and Jace backed off. Soon, people from other years started to join the group to see them fighting. _Please don’t be here, please don’t be here._ However, Alec saw Jace’s body language: his body was tensing up, dropping his chin and shifting his weight. He was ready to attack again. Alec expected it, anticipated it, and was ready to dodge to Jace’s side and throw him down. He had an opportunity to win. Like, a real opportunity. Unluckily for Alec, he found the familiar face in the crowd. Magnus piercing eyes were fixing him. Alec felt the whole weight of expectations on him: from Luke, from his classmates, from the crowd, from Magnus. The stakes were now higher than before.

But Alec soon felt the pain in the back of his head as he hit the floor. A little distraction, and he had lost. “Alec, are you okay?” Everyone soon got close, and Alec moaned in pain. His head was pounding and his tongue was soaked in the taste of blood.


	4. Bad project partners

A Lightwood never stumbles. That's what his father used to say anyway. They were a family of strong men and strong women. He wondered what his father would say if he saw him right now. That was Alec’s last thought before he went unconscious.

 

After regaining consciousness after a few minutes, Luke told him to go home and get some sleep. Alec appreciated it more than Luke could ever imagine; he needed to get out of there, out of the sight of all these people. It was not the first time Alec had lost a fight. But it was the first time more than 50 people saw him lose.

 

As soon as his head hit his bed, Alec felt asleep.

 

When Alec woke up the first thing he noticed was his dry mouth, so dry that it almost hurt. His head also hurt like hell. He checked his phone, and a saw few missing calls from Jace. He called him.

“Alec? Are you okay?”

“Yeah” Alec lied. The last thing he needed was Jace feeling sorry for him.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.”

“It’s okay, don’t beat you up for it”

“Again, I’m sorry. And by the way, Luke told us to pair up in class. With the help of the other person we have to learn new fighting techniques and practice.” Jace got silent for a moment. “And I’m sorry to tell you this, but you are with Simon Lewis.”

“Fuck”

 

Simon approached the academy’s gym. He eyed the weightlifting kits with hungry eyes. His legs were like stilts and his arms like rubber bands. He longed to be muscular like the other boys, like Jace. Then maybe he’d get a girl too. Then maybe he would get Clary. But for now, he was just a four-eyes, friend zoned skinny nerd.

At first, Alec pitied Simon Lewis. He knew what it was like to be friend zoned. Unrequited love sucked. But after a few seconds of talking to him, Alec wanted to knock him out. He couldn’t stand him.

Even though Alec didn’t want to spend with Simon, he knew that, deep down, he really wanted to punch him.

After two and a half hours late, Simon bothered to show up. But he didn't wear gym clothes.

“Mmmm… Alec, I don’t know how to tell you this. I’m not feeling super well today, so I guess it’s best if we skip today’s practice.”

 

Simon kept making excuses the whole week. It was Sunday’s night and Alec had not improved. He decided to hit the gym and punch a bag as hard as he could, imagining the bag was Simon's head.

He started punching until his knuckles became bruised. He then recognized _his_ smell. He turned around and he saw Magnus, practising moves just a few meters away from him.

“Magnus” said Alec. He then realized he had said his name, and that he had avoided him, ignored him, and even lost a fight in front of him.

“Alexander” Magnus said. “You’re practising too?”

Alec felt a sudden desire to vent his problems to Magnus. To tell him everything. But he only blurted something out about how Simon had abandoned him.

“Do you want me to help you?”

Magnus was not as fit as Jace. Alec could definitely take him. But, the last thing he wanted was to punch Magnus, making him hate him even more. Maybe Magnus had offered to fight with him to get revenge for Alec ignoring him in the cafeteria.

But, on the other side, Alec really wanted to spend time with Magnus. And to show him that he was not a completely loser.

Magnus and Alec stepped into the mat, just a few feet separating them. Alec felt his heart rate, suddenly racing. He was the first one to attack, throwing a kick. He stepped back, easily evading Alec's kick.  “Is that all you got?” asked Magnus. Alec clenched his teeth, and tried to tackle him. But Magnus dropped to the floor, rolled and stood up behind him, kicking him and throwing him down. “Even when the stakes are high, you must learn to concentrate Alexander.” he said while Alec groaned in the floor.

"How the fuck did you do that?" Alec asked, impressed by how Magnus was able to take him down in just a few moves. Magnus gave him a hand. "Remember: Drop to the floor. Roll clear. Stand."

"Drop to the floor. Roll clear. Stand." Alec repeated.

Alec decided to change his strategy. He tried to throw punches but Magnus was able to dodge all of them. "Block. Shove away. Back off" he said. They stumbled apart for a brief second to catch their breaths before diving back at each other, eyes narrowed in determination.

This time, Alec was able to take Magnus by surprise, but he tripped over his own foot. Alec fell on top of Magnus, his noise just a few inches away from his. And Alec could not help but stare at Magnus’s lips. They stared at each other for a long time, Alec's eyes felt like his eyes were burning.

Alec heard voices approaching, so he quickly stood up, broking the eye contact.

"So.. Thank you Magnus" he said, awkwardly shaking Magnus's hand. "Good practice, Alexander"

 

It was time for the real thing. Luke put each one into categories, meaning that he would have to fight Jace again.

“Alec, are you sure you want to fight again?” asked Jace, a little worried about hurting Alec again. Alec reassured him that he was fine.

“Ready guys?” asked Luke. The boys nodded and the fight started.

Jace seemed to have lots of energy, attacking more than defending himself. Avoidance was simple, but it couldn't last forever. The crowd wanted action. They came for blood.

Jace swung a roundhouse punch. Alec bent backward and felt Jace’s knuckles swish past his nose. _Block. Shove away. Back off_. Alec avoided one flying fist, only to collide with another. _Drop to the floor. Roll clear. Stand._ Alec was soon behind Jace, and he kicked one of his legs, making him fall to the floor.

And just like that, Alec had won.

Everyone stood breathless for a second, but then Luke started applauding. “Well done Lightwood!” he laughed and helped Jace stand up. Jace didn't know if he was more surprised than angry. He was not expecting that at all. It was the first time in his life that he had lost.

"Guess like it was a good choice to pair you up with Lewis" said Luke, clapping Simon on the back. Alec faked a smile. He couldn't wait to tell Magnus.


	5. Move I'm gay

Alec knocked five times the door. He couldn't wait to tell Magnus about winning the fight.  
A guy who was definitely not Magnus opened the door.   
"Hey, is this Magnus’s room?” asked Alec.  
"Yeah"  
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. “And, where is he?”  
"Oh, he is not here" the guy answered. Really? “He went shopping for an outfit for tonight’s party”  
“Oh I see” Alec was not invited to the party.   
“What is your name?”  
“Alec. Alec Lightwood.”  
The guy seemed to recognize his name. “You can come if you want.”  
“Thanks”  
“I will give you the address” he searched for his phone in his pocket. “I’m Raphael by the way.”

Arriving fashionable late and leaving early was Alec's anthem. His introverted rules to avoid running out of energy in the middle of the party. People were already drunk by then, so they didn't give a fuck. Alec really liked drunk people, because they were funnier and more real in a strange way. Like more themselves.  
This party was not like the one where he had met Magnus. It was not hot and sticky. People were drinking, but everything seemed under control. No one was puking in Raphael's valuable antiques, and Raphael had a strict rule of not fighting inside the house. “If you want to kill each other, fine. But please, don’t spill blood on my 5000-dollar cashmere carpet.”  
Alec soon realized this was a party for sophomores only when he started getting weird looks from everyone. But he only cared for one person, who was casually speaking with the host.  
"Magnus" said Alec.  
"Alec?"   
"Raphael" Raphael greeted him. "Good thing that could come. Magnus told me a lot about - Ouch!" he said as Magnus punched him with his elbow.   
"Shut up" whispered Magnus.  
"I have this thing to do so I will have to go..." said Raphael, quickly winking at Magnus.  
"So, Alec, what are you doing here?"  
"I had to tell you the good news. I won the fight”  
Magnus smiled but looked disappointed. Like he was hoping there was another reason Alec had come searching for him. "That's very nice Alexander. "  
"And I had to see you" mumbled Alec. And before he could convince himself that there was no way in earth a guy like Magnus would like him, Alec kissed him. Alec could feel his heart running a million times per hour. He was both afraid and excited. It was the first time he kissed someone for real. And as he deepened the kiss, Alec found himself unable to stop. He wanted more. He needed more.  
Magnus broke the kiss. "Do you want to get out of here?" asked Magnus. Alec had never wanted something more in his life. "Yeah" he mumbled. It was like Alec had lost the ability to make complete sentences.   
Magnus took his hand and drove him through the party. As they left, Alec felt a few eyes laid on him. Nobody could believe that Magnus Bane was with a first-year student. No one saw that one coming. Raphael gave an amused look at Magnus.   
A group of girls were blocking the door. Before Magnus could do anything, Alec said, "Move I'm gay", and pushed the girls out of their way. The girls seemed shocked for a second, but they soon laughed and continued talking.   
Magnus and Alec burst out laughing outdoor.   
"Did you just say 'move I'm gay' to those people?" Magnus laughed. "Oh my god that was so cool."  
"What do you want to do?"   
"Mmmm I think I have an idea." Magnus replied. 

After a few minutes of walk, they finally arrived at their destination. The tall grey building stood in the middle of the empty, abandoned street. Alec followed Magnus inside the abandoned house. His footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, which was once aesthetically pleasing. “Magnus? Isn’t this illegal?” said Alec a little nervous.  
“Don’t worry, the only people who visit this house are teenagers who want to get drunk” said Magnus. “Are you scared Alexander?”  
“Pfff. Of course, not” he lied.  
But Magnus was right. The house only residents were spiders. Many generations had laced the walls with cobwebs, though now they laid in dusty rags. There was water dripping from the roof, rhythmically generating a melancholic melody. The glass windows were all shattered. There was an old table with a whiskey bottle.   
“Shall we?” Magnus opened the bottle and took a sip. “Oh my god, this is disgusting. It must be over a hundred years” he said as he took another sip.   
“Tell me something about you Magnus.” Alec said. “The good and the bad.”  
"I was born with a breathing problem, asthma. I almost died several times when I was a kid” he sighed. “My mother died giving me birth and my father always blamed me for that” he started looking at the floor, avoiding Alec’s gaze. “Until one day, when he refused to keep taking care of a sick kid who had killed the love of his life.” Magnus hesitated to continue, his voice broking. “I remember I woke up in a hospital bed. A pretty nurse with curly blonde hair and bright red lipstick kept worrying over me. My father, he… he had abandoned me. So, ended up in foster care. When I was 12 I was finally adopted by a supportive and caring family”  
“I had no idea” said Alec, putting a hand over Magnus’s shoulder. “You always seem so happy. Like everything about you is perfect.”  
“My life if far from perfect Alexander” he replied. “But, what about you?”  
“Well, my story doesn’t have a happy ending” Alec shrugged.  
“Maybe I can help you with that”  
The next thing Alec knew, Magnus had slammed his lips to his and nearly knocked all wind from his lungs. It was a very sloppy kiss with the strong scent of old wine. Alec’s arms reached up and tangled around Magnus’s thick, strong neck.


	6. Dead bodies and stuff

"Listen Jace I have something to tell you” said Alec in a serious tone.   
"Yeah?"  
"I have a crush on someone."  
"Really? Who is she?"  
"Take a guess."  
"Lydia?"  
"No. She's actually a lesbian"  
"Clary?"  
"What? Jace, no."  
"I don't know dude. It's not like you speak to lots of girls. Give me a clue."  
Alec sighed. "It's not a girl"  
"I see", he said, "Simon Lewis?"  
Alec could not hold his laugh. “Really? Simon Lewis? Of all the people?”  
“Then I have no idea”  
"Do you remember that guy... Magnus Bane?"  
Jace frowned. "Oh yeah! Clary talks about him all the time" he said. "And what's going on between you two?".  
Alec felt that he was flushing. “We kissed last night. But nothing else”  
Jace smirked. "I have something to tell you too."  
"What?"  
"I think we should break into the morgue and search for Angelo's body".  
Alec burst out laughing. He couldn't be serious, right? Right?  
Jace didn’t laugh.   
"Jace? Are you fucking kidding me?"  
"No." Jace seemed serious. "I mean, he was murdered right next to us. After a party we went to. And no one is telling us anything!"   
"I need to know what happened."  
"Jace it's illegal. ILLEGAL” Alec repeated.   
"Only if we get caught", he said, "Listen, if you are not with me in this one, okay. But I'm going anyway. With you or without you."  
Alec folded his arms. There was no way he was going to do this.

When Alec saw Angelo’s body he wanted to throw up. The life that had dwelt on that body was gone.   
"It's easier if you don't think of him as a person" Jace told him.  
Alec nodded, looking away from the body. He wished things were as easy as Jace made them seem. "Jace, I found Angelo's autopsy report."  
"Read it"  
"The body is that of a normally developed white male measuring 69,7 inches and weighing 130 pounds.   
Toxicology: Sample of right pleural blood and bile are submitted for toxicologic analysis.   
Time of Death: Body temperature, rigor and livor mortis, and stomach contents approximate the time of death between 4am and 8am on 21/09/2017.  
Immediate Cause of Death: Asphyxia due to ligature strangulation (Ligature B). Ligature A is made post-mortem.   
Manner of Death: Homicide  
There are signs of struggle. Evidence suggests that we are looking for a highly skilled individual with training." Alec stopped reading. "Jace", he said, "Do you know what this means?"  
"What?"  
"A highly skilled individual with training" Jace narrowed his eyes, clearly not understanding what Alec meant. "The students of the academy have training"  
"Oh my god", said Jace, "They think that a student did it?"  
Alec shrugged. "Yeah, probably. He was killed in a party after all."  
Alec heard footsteps and the creak of opening doors. "Did you hear that?"  
"We need to get out of here."  
"Come on"  
Suddenly the room's door burst open and hit the wall with a dull thud, making them freeze and whip their heads in the door's direction.  
"What are you doing here!” screamed a security guard. The man got a gun and pointed towards them.  
"Freeze right now or I'll shot. Put your hands where I can see them" he shouted as he approached them.  
"We're fucked" whispered Jace.  
Alec jerked upright, panicked, but his wrists refused to move. Something sharp and cold dug into his skin. He looked down and saw there were handcuffs holding his hands together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tan tan tan!! What do you think is going to happen next??


	7. Final interrogation

His heart was racing and all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wait for someone to save him. But no one would, no one was there.

There were three men waiting for him. All white men in their thirties, with white shirts. They looked serious, imposing nearly to the point of intimidation.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Lightwood."

Alec didn't know what to say, so he nodded in response. "It's not like I have choice" he wanted say. The three men gave him firm manly handshakes. The man speaking continued: "I'm Mr. Razin and they are my partners, detectives Uric and Miles. So today we will need to confirm a few facts about your... 'relationship' with Mr. Wallace."

Alec had already told everyone he didn't know Angelo, but he felt intimidated by Mr. Razin. The men were scanning him up and down.

"Follow me Mr. Lightwood" Mr. Razin instructed. They walked down a hall to the interrogation room.

"You know, Mr. Lightwood, I was myself a student in Morgenstern's Academy. " Mr. Razin said. "So, you must have familiarity with the procedure."

Alec nodded again. Actually, Alec had missed the interrogation class because he spent the whole previous day in the police station, so he missed the class. _Well_ , _I'm fucked_.

The room was small and square, with three plastic chairs, a table and an empty water dispenser. A bare bulb hung from the ceiling. The window was crackled, allowing a faint but pleasant smell of moisture into the run. Alec pulled out one of the chairs as instructed and sat down. His body felt immediately uncomfortable, his tongue already asking for a drink of water. The door behind them opens, and then clicks shut.

"My partner will conduct the interrogation. And don't worry Mr. Lightwood, just tell the truth” said Mr.Razin.

Alec slowly breathed. The truth? He had just broke illegally into the morgue to see the body of a guy he met in a party.

Alec felt his hands getting sweaty, so he rubbed them in his jeans to quickly clean them.

"Mr. Lightwood, where were you on September 23rd?"

Questions were fired too quickly to answer with much thought. After a few basic questions, Alec felt that they started to become more personal.

"I understand that you are a gay man Mr. Lightwood."

"I am." Alec said, as he felt his stomach tighten. “But what that has to do with anything?"

Mr. Miles ignored him, while Mr. Uric wrote a few things down.

"And according to some of your friends, your parents are not... well, they do not agree with your sexuality."

Alec hadn't realized he was holding his breath. “Yes. That's correct."

"Were you involved in any way with Mr. Wallace?"

"No"

"Did you engage in any sexual activity with Mr. Wallace?"

"No, I didn't".

"You were involved with Mr. Wallace and he decided to tell your parents to black mail you, so you decided to kill him!" Mr. Miles shouted. "And then you messed up with his body in order to alter evidence." Mr. Miles fixed him. "We have eyewitness that saw you two together at the party, and I quote: 'Garret was putting his arm around his neck'".

Alec was petrified. They really thought that he had killed Angelo? He felt the sweat pourring off his forehead.

"I did not know him. I did not know anyone at the party, so he approached and offered me a drink. He was very drunk" Alec said, and both men looked at him like they were deciding if they believed him or not. "And I don't care what my parents have to say about my relationships."

After that Mr. Uric left the room. There were a few minutes of awkward silence and eye contact with Mr. Miles, but eventually M. Uric came back with Mr. Razin.

"Mr. Lightwood you are good to go."

"Really?"

"We've cleared you out. Magnus Bane has confirmed your alibi and other testimonies coincides with other eyewitnesses"

Magnus had told them that they were together the night of the party? "Are you going to charge me for breaking in the morgue?"

"This is your first offense, so I'm willing to give you the benefit of doubt and leave you out of this one. But this must not happen again."

Alec quickly nodded and thanked him. But before he could leave the hell out of that place, Mr. Razin put a hand in his shoulder and said: "We haven't found the murderer yet. And between us, I think he will strike again. So be careful son."

He pulled a card from his jacket pocket. "If you remember anything, please call, Mr. Bane"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is going to be drama coming up soon!! Who do you think will die next??


	8. Truth or dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sorry this chapter is very short :(  
> What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?? Is someone else going to die?

"I am so sorry" said Jace for the millionth time, his voice thick with guilt. "I really fucked up"

"Yes, you did" said Alec. "But people saw me at the party with Angelo so they would have to eventually ask me some questions" he shrugged. "The weirdest thing is that he kept calling me Garret"

"Wait" Jace's smile faded from his face. "Did you just say Garret?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Garret used to study here. He died of an overdose last year."

"Wait, what?" All this time Alec thought Garret was just a random guy who probably didn't even go to Morgenstern's. Now, it turned out, he was not only dead but also a former student.

"An overdose of what?"

"I don't know dude. Clary told me."

"Who told her Jace?"

"His father" said Jace. "Clary's father is Valentine."

Alec's jaw dropped. Alec wasn’t aware of this information.

"She told me to keep it a secret because she doesn't want everyone thinking she gets a special treatment. So she uses her mother's name, Fairchild" he explained. "By the way, Clary invited us to her house today for a get together, at 7 pm”

“I don’t Jace, I just got arrested yesterday…”

“This is why you need to come. It will help you to clear your mind”, he said.

“I’ll go I guess”

 

There were 7 people invited. Alec, Jace, Simon, Megan, Lydia, Maia, and Jordan. Alec just learned about Maia and Jordan’s existence.

The house was indeed pretty big, with wooden panels along the corridors, ornate chandeliers, and oil paintings of old bearded men in tunics and ruffs. A long polished wooden table had been set for them.

Then they drank single malt whiskey stolen from Valentine’s secret cellar.

"Maia, truth or dare?" asked Clary.

"Truth"

"Have you and Jordan hooked up?" Maia looked embarrassed, but Clary started laughing. Megan didn’t say a word, her mind seemed to be elsewhere, thinking about something else.

"Yeah” Maia finally answered, hiding her face from Jordan’s eyes.

"Clary, truth or dare" asked Jace.

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss me"

"Uugh. Boring." said Megan. "Guys please spice it up."

"Megan, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Take your shirt off"

Megan didn’t hesitate when she took her shirt off, tossing it somewhere in the ground. She pretended she didn’t notice the boys (and Lydia) staring at her bra.

"Alec, truth or dare."

"Truth."

"How many guys have you sleep with?"

Alec was not sure he wanted to answer that question in front of all these people. "None" he finally admitted.

"Wait, what? So the rumours about you and Magnus Bane are false?" Megan asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Wait, you are gay?" clueless Simon asked.

"I heard you left Raphael's party with Magnus” said Megan.

"Why weren't we invited to Raphael's?"

"It was only for sophomores."

"But you just told us Alec was there."

"Guys stop talking like I'm not here" said Alec.

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Alec, pleaseee, tell us about you and Magnus. I'm dying to know" said Clary, looking at him with puppy eyes.

"Mmm okay. I kissed him, and then we talked. But nothing else happened"

"Awwww" said the girls.

"Guys is it true that you were interrogated by the police?" asked Jordan.

"No, why would they waste their time with kids?" lied Jace. Alec understood was Jace lied. It was not something people bragged about, being arrested and interrogated. Jace had a reputation to maintain.

After talking for a while, Alec felt how his eyes started to close and that he was falling asleep. If only he had known what was going to happen while he was peacefully sleeping.


	9. CSI

Alec was the first to woke up. Which was surprising considering he was not a morning person. At all. Back at home, he was always the last one to woke up.

But everyone was sleeping like a log. Alec even heard Jace snoring.

The first thing Alec noticed was the smell. So strong Alec felt sick. A powerful, pungent, disgusting odor. Alec stood up and tried to found the source of the smell. And he saw her. The woman on the floor was lifeless. Lifeless. Her auburn hair was scattered in multiple places, stained with dried blood. Alec’s heart pounded as one question continued to race through his mind: who did this? Who killed Megan?

Alec quickly woke everyone up and called 911.

When Clary saw the body, she fainted. She then started hyperventilating as she sat on the floor. Jace checked her pulse.

“Her hands are very cold and her heart rate is very high. She must be in shock.”

 

Valentine arrived and started screaming at the police officers. “Don’t you see she’s in shock? She needs a doctor, for god’s sake!”

“Don’t worry kids, I’m going to take care of this”, he said as he proceeded to make some phone calls.

The crime scene was tightly secured. "Contamination of evidence jeopardizes the case, so management of this scene is imperative" the officer would repeat. The team of supervisors, forensics teams, photographers, and medical personnel arrived. They isolated them and recorded their names and contact information.

Soon, the medical examiner arrived, and Alec saw Megan’s body taken away in a body bag.

"Dude this is fucked up" said Jace. "I mean, she was killed while we were asleep next to her. What the fuck."

Alec nodded. There was definitely something weird going on. Megan was killed in Clary’s house, while there were people in it. And how the killer knew that Megan was going to be there?

“Jace” Alec whispered. “What if the killer is one of us?”

“What?” he laughed, but after seeing Alec’s serious face he added, “You are joking, right?”

“I’m serious”

 

“Magnus? What are you doing here?”

Magnus seemed as confused as Alec when he saw him there. “I could ask you the same thing, Alexander. What are you doing in Mr. Morgenstern’s house?”  
“I’m _friends_ with his daughter” Alec said. “What about you?”  
“I’m-“

“This is Mr. Bane. He’s a student at the academy, and works part time as my assistant. He’s one of my best students, you’re in good hands. He will take you home” Valentine interrupted. “Go home and rest kids, we will figure everything out tomorrow.”

Jace elbowed Alec. “This is Bane, as Magnus Bane? Like, your Magnus?”

Alec felt his face flushing. “Yeah” he admitted. And before there was anything he could do, Jace was introducing himself to Magnus. “Hi, I’m Jace, I’m Alec’s friend.”

 

 

“Magnus, this is your car?”

“Yeah”

“Dope” Jace said, checking out the car.

Alec sat in the front passenger seat, next to Magnus.

The ride was a mix of awkward silence, the car’s radio and the sound of rain. No one dared to say a word, still shocked from what they had seen. Softly splashing water droplets hit the car windows. Alec watched the raindrops race down to the windows, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. “ _What if the killer is one of us?”_

Magnus dropped everyone at their dorms. “Alexander, please stay”, Magnus said. “Valentine’s orders, of course”

“Alexander, are you okay?”

“I don’t know Magnus, I have a weird feeling.” He leaned in a little closer, their foreheads touching. "Thank you Magnus" Alec said in barely a whisper. Alec crushed his lips against Magnus, only half-aware of the world outside the comfort of the car. His hand rested under Magnus’s shirt, caressing his stomach. Magnus ran his fingers down his back, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and he could feel the beating of his heart against his chest.

Magnus pulled out when his phone started ringing. “Hello? Is it important?”

Magnus’s expression changed. “Shit. I’ll be right there sir.” He hung. “Alec, you might want to know this"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist in the next chapter! It's going to be legend, wait for it... dary!


	10. Innocent?

"Jace Herondale, you are under arrest for Megan's murder" said the police officer as he handcuffed Jace.  
"Wait, this must be a mistake!"  
Magnus kept making phone calls to Valentine. "Yes, he's getting arrested. No, I don't know why. They won't tell us."  
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court", they said as they put Jace in the car.  
"Alec! I sweat I didn't do shit. I'm fucking innocent!" Jace screamed.   
"We will meet you at the police station. Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" said Alec, as Magnus held his hand.   
Another police officer approached them, and told Alec to come down to the police station to write a full statement of his involvement at the scene of the crime.  
“Do you want a lift, Alec?” Magnus asked him, worry on his eyes.  
“Please”

Jace was imprisoned. Awaiting trial. He was suspected of killing Megan in cold blood. Trapped in a room with now windows, no table, no chair. He had hired a good lawyer, but was that enough?  
Luke was already at the police station, in the waiting area. "I've got a friend here who told me why they arrested Jace."  
"Why?"  
"Check Megan’s autopsy” Luke said as he gave Alec the report.   
"Oh my god"   
“What?” asked Magnus.   
“Read this”  
“Drug screen results: Urine screen was POSITIVE for 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as MDMA or ecstasy, a recreational drug. There was also alcohol in the victim’s blood. Forensic evidence suggests that the victim was sexually active about 8 hours before her death. There was a match with Jace Herondale, suspect on the ongoing investigation. “  
"I didn't tell Clary, she's at the hospital. She's in shock and doesn't need this right now."  
Alec couldn’t believe that Jace sleep with Megan. And even worse, last night at Clary’s house? What the fuck was he thinking? This is why the police suspected of Jace. They thought that Jace and Megan were involved somehow. Well, they were clearly involved, but Jace would never hurt Megan, right? "When are they going to let Jace out?"  
"They won't" said Luke. "His trial is scheduled for tomorrow. He’s facing a lifetime in prison.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Are you suspicious of Jace??


End file.
